Peace Out, 2011

I am usually into typical blog posts like this, but I saw several friends doing it, and I thought I would give it a try this year.

**disclaimer- I am attaching pictures from my phone, so they will not be in the order j want them to be. Just a warning.

January
The start of the year was all about little man, brenden. My how he has grown in a year. He talks, and talks a lot! At school, we were hoping for snow.

February
Normally, I'd be gearing up for Mardi Gras during this month, but mardi Gras was late this year. At school, I decorated for Mardi Gras to get ready for March. I also had a birthday during this month! I got a pretty special present. My grandmother passed away last August, and I got her engagement ring. I just love it! I started a train ride in February that continuously gained speed until 2 weeks ago. I missed a week of school with the Flu- worst experience of my life. The next week, I had jury duty for the first time. I was chosen to be on the grand jury or the next year. I learned a lot through this experience, and overall, I am glad I was chosen.

March
March brought Mardi Gras, 9 weeks exams, and Spring break! This year, we went to Disney World for the break! Words do not express how much I enjoyed the week!

April
April was super busy as well! At school, it was MCT2 crunch time. At church, I had something every week as we prepared for the end of AWANA and the beginning of summer.

May
Yay May! May was my last month at WCES. During this month, I started a new, exciting, scary journey to beginning a new job! I accepted a library media specialist position at Bolton- Edwards Elem/ Mid School. also, my sweet cousin Sarah graduated from high school!

June
You would think that summer would mean lazy days, but that was not the case for me. At the church, we were busy with day trips, Narnia bible study, and my very first VBS experience! Wow! That was the craziest, most stressfully, wonderful thing ever! The same week of VBS, I attended new teacher orientation in Byram, and I bought a house! Yes, I said I BOUGHT A HOUSE! What a week/month?!

July
Hello craziest month ever. Wrapping things up at the church, packing, prepping my house, cleaning out the library, setting up the library, CENTRIKID, day trips, and MOVING! Did I mention I was also in grad school this whole year and I had the most terrible class ever during July?!

August

I was relieved , nervous, and excited to see August. I moved into my house, started my new job, had a month off of school, and met some pretty great friends in Clinton. Also, my little brother was baptized.

September

Brenden turned 2, so we had a Mickey themed birthday! Football season started- hallelujah! LSU started their dominating season by killing Oregon at Cowboys' Stadium. :-) I traveled to Starkville to watch LSU beat my alma mater :-)

October

Fall break, State Fair, 2 flat tires, Brad Wing get penalized for taunting after scoring a TD against Florida, friends, jury duty.

November
Grad school misery, Family Literacy night, my first book fair :/, stomach virus, thanksgiving with the Jones', found out my BFF is pregnant, Mickey on Ice. Oh, and there was this little thing called LSU beat bama in t-town in OT :-)

December
Finished coursework for grad school, went through an audit at work, had oral surgery, decorated everything for Christmas, LSU won SEC championship after their first undefeated season (geaux tigers), LSU and bama were selected for national championship game, drew Bree's beat marino's record in the dome against the dirty birds and clinched the NFC west, Christmas :-) Topping the year off with a trip to Newks and Yog N Frut with the fam.


What a year it's been! Looking forward to 2012! Graduation from UTA is first on the list!

Magic Cookies :-)

I posted magic muffins a few weeks ago, and they were a hit, so I am now posting magic cookies!

These are easy peasy!

1 cake mix (I prefer lemon)
1 container of cool- whip
1 cup of powdered sugar

Mix cake and cool- whip. Dough will be very sticky. To shape cookies, I wore a latex glove. Scoop 1 spoonful of cookie dough into a bowl o powdered sugar. Coat dough and place on cookie sheet. Allow room around each cookie because the dough will spread.

Bake at 350 for 7-9 min. Allow to sit on warm pan to cool.

Enjoy these magical, chewy treats :-)

Fall magic muffins :-)

I may have already posted this recipe, but it's too good not to post again :-)

1 box of spice cake mix ( or carrot cake).

1 can of pumpkin

Mix, mix, mix.

Pour into 12 muffin tins.

Bake at 350 for 20 or so minutes.

Now for the extra special part :-)

Cream one package of cream cheese and 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Add one egg. Squeeze yumminess into the center of each muffin prior to baking :-)

Cream one stick of butter and a pinch of sea salt with 1 tsp of vanilla.
In a saucepan, melt 1 cup of powdered sugar until it's a caramel color. Add a tbls or two of cream. Combine and cool. Add caramel sauce to butter and whip. Add powdered sugar until you get a frosting consistency.

Frost muffins :-)

Turtle Cheesecake :)

This was a super easy cheesecake recipe. It is also pretty tasty!

Crust
1. Graham cracker crumbs
2. Butter

Filling
1. 3 packages of cream cheese
2. 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
3. 3 eggs
4. 1 tbs vanilla
5. 1 tbs lemon juice
6. 1/2 cup of sugar
7. 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips

Topping
1. Caramel sauce
2. Hot fudge sauce
3. Walnuts

Mix melted butter and Graham cracker crumbs together and press into a spring form pan.

In a mixer, combine cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla until creamy.

In a separate bowl, partially melt chocolate chips. Add one cup of filling mixture, and combine thoroughly.

Pour half of white mixture in pan, then the chocolate mixture, then the second half of the white mixture.

Bake at 300 degrees for one hour with a pan of water on the bottom rack.

After one hour, turn off oven and leave for 2 hours.

Chill cheesecake for one hour then drizzle caramel and fudge on top. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Enjoy.

Homemade Butterfingers

Seriously, it doesn't get easier than this.

3 ingredients= wonderfulness.

1. 1 bag of candy corn
2. 1 jar of peanut butter
3. 1 package of chocolate candy quick

Melt candy corn for one minute then 15 second intervals.

Add peanut butter to melted candy corn.

Stir, stir, stir.

Spread on cookie sheet as thin as you like.

Let sit overnight.

Melt candiquick.

Cut pb mixture in pieces.

Dip in chocolate and place on parchment paper to dry (I dipped bottom and drizzles top).

Enjoy.

Pinterest= Crack

Lately, I've become addicted to a site called pinterest. It's like crack to a cooking, do-it-yourself, teaching gal. If you're not a member, let me know, and I will invite you!!

I've spent the last two weeks making a few projects. Here are some of the finished deals. Now that I can blog from my phone, I will start blogging while I am making these projects, so I can give more pictures.

I've been working on some recipes, but no pictures :( homemade butterfingers! So easy, and so yummy. Olive garden salad dressing- very, very close! Candied jalapeños :-)

A Librarian Life For Me?!

Why not?! It makes perfect sense. I love books, I love reading, I love teaching, I love technology. It's a perfect fit, or so I hope :-)

This journey started in November. I decided to register for the library media specialist praxis, and I had no idea less than a year later, I would be a librarian, but I am!

Don't let anyone fool you. This is not an easy job. In fact, I think being a classroom teacher was easier. Instead of learning 60 names, I have to learn 600. Instead of dealing with kids all day, I deal with teachers, district personnel, principals, parents, community members, and kids. There is lots of paperwork, but I love it.

Here are a few pictures of my little piece of heaven.